Once "The Sun" Derek finished speaking, Klein, through "The World," nodded and said:
"More detailed than I expected."
"The deal is done."
Before "The World" had even finished speaking, Klein had already, showing off his coordination, simultaneously lifted the blockades on "Justice," "The Hanged Man," and "The Magician."
The scene fell briefly silent for a few seconds. "The World" looked around and grinned darkly:
"I have no other requests for the time being."
Fors, who had roughly figured out the process and its characteristics, was instantly eager to try. She wanted to buy the Sequence 8 "Prankster" formula corresponding to the "Apprentice" pathway.
She remembered clearly that Mr. Fool had said the reason she was plagued by full-moon babbling was that her life level wasn't high enough, and that the pain would decrease as her own Sequence advanced.
This made Fors desperate to obtain the subsequent formulas.
However, this would expose my pathway... Once everyone becomes more familiar and knows more about each other, the exposure won't be that big of a deal, but for the next few gatherings, I still need to disguise it a bit so the other members don't use this to pin down my real self... After thinking about it with a reasonable degree of composure, Fors said:
"I want the 'Apothecary' and 'Prankster' formulas. I'll pay in money."
She deliberately added the "Apothecary" formula to her actual request in order to confuse others' judgment. If any member truly had that formula, she would happily swallow it and later sell it at a markup to Viscount Glaint, who had been coveting that formula for a long time. Either way, she definitely wouldn't lose out—she might even make a handsome profit.
As for money, Fors wasn't short of it for the time being. Not only were the royalties from her best-selling book still trickling into her account, adding up little by little, but she also had extra income, such as the 650 pounds in payment she had received from Miss Audrey for her involvement in the Kiringsis and the Intis Ambassador Bekron incidents.
Poor Sherlock had paid out of his own pocket over two hundred pounds to compensate the families of two victims in the Rayuris incident. Whether Miss Audrey would reimburse him once the heat died down, Fors had no idea... The note with Mr. Fool's honored name had been discovered in the hidden compartment of a book at Viscount Glaint's manor. Could one of his ancestors have once been a member of this gathering? A gathering that had been held regularly for dozens or even hundreds of years? Fors' thoughts suddenly drifted off on a tangent.
Sitting only two chairs away, "Justice" Audrey, upon hearing "The Magician" request the "Apothecary" and "Prankster" formulas, was only briefly stunned before she accurately grasped the other party's intentions.
"That's Fors! The 'Prankster' formula is for herself, the 'Apothecary' one is to sell to Glaint—and through this she muddies the waters and deceives everyone..." Audrey nodded almost imperceptibly, now fully certain of "The Magician's" identity.
Her own Sequence shouldn't be high—Sequence 8 at most, very likely only Sequence 9. No idea where Mr. Fool recruited her from, or what's special about her... Accent carries Backlund characteristics, but she may not necessarily be in Backlund... "The Hanged Man" Alger was also observing the new member, initially confirming that she posed no threat to him.
"The Sun" Derek didn't think as deeply—he was merely speculating whether "The Magician" belonged to the City of Silver region or the world where "Justice" and the others lived.
Klein, meanwhile, cast a sympathetic glance toward "The Magician," harboring little hope for her attempt to conceal her identity.
When you encounter a "Mind Reading" Beyonder who is very familiar with you, even if you know about their abilities in advance and take corresponding precautions, you may not necessarily be able to hide your true thoughts—let alone when you know nothing at all... Mr. Fool Klein sighed inwardly on "The Magician's" behalf.
At the same time, he manipulated "The World" to speak in a hoarse voice:
"I have the 'Apothecary' formula. 230 pounds."
"As for the 'Prankster' formula, I will do my best to find it for you, but I make no guarantees."
Using the "Apothecary" formula to make money and using it to cultivate a useful helper were not mutually exclusive—both could be carried out simultaneously. That was why Klein had "The World" speak up first, to prevent "The Hanged Man" and "The Sun" from snatching it out from under him.
As for the "Prankster" formula, he only had a few ideas.
In his view, the magical item known as the "Universal Key" was most likely connected to Sequence 9 "Apprentice" corresponding to "Prankster." If he divined its origin atop the Gray Fog, he might be able to uncover some clues.
Hmm, actually the most convenient approach would be to ask the being suspected to be "Mr. Door." He constantly whispered during the full moon, and beyond his cries for help, he was probably also teaching formulas and the Acting method—all to strengthen the target so they could complete high-difficulty tasks. But unfortunately, before the target grew strong enough, there was simply no way to listen to his ravings. One listen and you'd collapse, showing signs of losing control. That created a vicious cycle... Klein couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Fors didn't rush to respond to "The World's" words. Instead, she looked around the table, only to find that "The Hanged Man," "Justice," and "The Sun" all had no intention of speaking up.
Clearly, none of them knew the specifics of the "Apothecary" and "Prankster" formulas.
"Mr. World, I hope you can find the 'Prankster' potion formula as soon as possible." Fors was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "As for the 'Apothecary' formula, I'm ready to purchase it now. How should I pay?"
The other party seemed to be Loenese as well, willing to accept gold pounds... though, gold pounds had always been more widely recognized than gold Horns, Intis francs, and other currencies... As she spoke, Fors was also trying to assess "The World's" origins.
"The World" paid no attention to her scrutiny and said in a low voice:
"After you return, offer the cash as a tribute to 'Mr. Fool,' and the transaction will be considered complete."
"The specific ritual for the tribute is..."
Tribute? "Mr. Fool" could accept tributes? His existence had reached that level? No wonder he described the master of the full-moon ravings in that tone... Fors listened with a mixture of shock and astonishment, yet also a sense that it was all perfectly natural, committing every word to memory.
Once the explanation was finished, Klein materialized the "Apothecary" formula before "The World" and had the puppet hand it to "The Magician":
"The transaction is witnessed by 'Mr. Fool.' You don't need to worry about it being counterfeit."